Hosiery form



P 1967 J. w. GLAZE, JR 3,343,732

HOSIERY FORM Filed NOV. 18, 1964 16 INVENTOR JOHN W. GLAZE, JR.

BY hum/4M;

ATTOR N EYS United States Patent 3,343,732 HOSIERY FORM John W. Glaze, Jr., Charlotte, N.C., assignor to Autoboard Corporation, Charlotte, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Nov. 18, 1964, Ser. No. 412,095 8 Claims. (Cl. 223-75) This invention relates to an improved form particularly suitable for holding hosiery in a shaped condition for processing, such as boarding, including setting, drying and shaping.

Maintaining the desired position of hosiery on boarding forms is a problem which has long existed in hosiery manufacture. This problem stems from the fact that many types of hosiery, when subjected to heat such as in drying and shaping on a boarding form, tend to creep along the boarding form and depart from the desired set position.

Over the years, a number of external holding clamps have been devised to overcome this problem, but such devices adversely affect the drying and processing of the hosiery.

Another unsuccessful attempt to solve the problem utilizes a directional nap fabric which is cemented to the side of the form to permit the hosiery to be pulled on the form in one direction, but to prevent movement of the hosiery in the opposite direction. With this arrangement, the nap fabric resists removal of hosiery from the form and cannot be used over a wide area of the form without interfering with the operators ability to position the hosiery on the form, since the hosiery is always in contact with the nap fabric. Moreover, because the nap fabric is glued or cemented directly to the form, removal and replacement of the nap fabric is difficult particularly in cases where the nap fabric wears rapidly.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hosiery form on which hosiery may be quickly and conveniently applied and manipulated into the proper position and subsequently firmly held in this position during boarding operations.

A more specific object of the present invention is the provision on such a hosiery form of a device which will firmly hold hosiery in a set position during processing and which will not interfere with movement of the hosiery onto or off the form.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved hosiery form which will achieve the above objects while having a durable and economical construction in which the holding device may be easily installed and replaced.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the attached drawings in which.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a hosiery form constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view to a reduced scale illustrating application of a sock to the form of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows a form generally designated embodying the present invention, including a typical foot portion 12 and leg portion 14 over which hosiery such as a sock 13 (see FIG. 2) is pulled into a pre-determined stretched position for drying and shaping during manufacture. In use, form 10 is supported at its enlarged end portion 16 by suitable structure which is not shown in the drawings and forms no part of the present invention.

In the specific embodiment, form 10 has a generally flat body formed of any suitable material, such as light weight metal or plastic, including opposite parallel sides 18, the longitudinal edge portions 19 of which are levelled to avoid sharp corners. Application of the sock 13 to form 10 is effected in the usual manner by initially placing the sock on foot portion 12 and drawing the sock onto leg portion 14 in the desired position as illustrated in FIG. 2. When the operator finally manipulates the sock into proper position on the form, a pair of holding devices generally designated 20 in FIGS. 1-3 are employed to engage and hold the sock in this position.

In accordance with the present invention, each holding device in the preferred embodiment shown .in FIGS. 1-3 includes an elongated channel of suitable metal or plastic material including a flat base 24 and two inturned side portions 26 extending upwardly and inwardly from opposite sides of base 24 forming a recess 30, the mouth of which is defined by the longitudinal edges 28 of inturned portions 26. As shown in FIG. 3, holding devices 20 are mounted in back to back relationship on opposite sides 18 of the form with their recesses 30 exposed, by rivets 35 extending transversely through apertures 36 in the form. Opposite ends of rivets 35 are fixed to bases 24 of the channels to thus complete the mounting.

In recesses 30 of the channels a suitable pressure responsive gripping material is secured, which material may be a layer of hooked pile fabric 40 such as that produced by J. P. Stevens & Company and distributed under the trademark Velcro. As illustrated in FIG. 3, gripping fabric 40 is of such a size that its free or hooked ends 42 are located a distance, C, of approximately from the outer longitudinal edges 28 of the channels. In this manner, a sock being drawn on the form does not contact the gripping fabric 40 so it can be manipulated into proper position without interference from gripping fabric 40, because hooked ends 42 are disposed beneath the surface of inturned side portions 26 around the mouth of the recess 30.

If desired, one or both of the ends 46 of each channel may be crimped to eliminate sharp edges and consequent interference with movement of the sock on the form.

In use, after the operator manipulates the sock into the proper position on the form, the operator merely depresses portions of the sock into recesses 30 to engage the hooked pile of gripping fabric 40 whereupon the latter will grip the sock and firmly hold the same in the proper position. After the sock is processed and it is desired to remove the sock from the form, the operator strips the sock longitudinally from the form with sufiicient force to disengage hooked pile 40. Once the hooked pile of gripping fabric 40 is dis-engaged, the sock will ride over the channels without touching the hook pile to permit smooth and quick removal of the sock.

Referring to FIG. 4, another embodiment of the invention is illustrated wherein the holding devices are each incorporated in an elongated side plate 50, of suitable material, secured to the flat side of the form. Side plate 50 includes a fiat base 52 and an opposite face 54 parallel to the base and having formed therein a recess 56 extending longitudinally throughout body 50. Side plates 50 are mounted to the form 60 in overlying relationship with their bases 52 engaging the opposite sides 62 of the form to expose recesses 56. In the specific embodiment, side plates 50 are fixed in this position by screws 59 extending transversely through the form.

As in the above-described embodiment, a hooked pile fabric 65 is suitably fixed in recesses 56 of the holding devices with the free or hooked ends 66 of the fabric 65 spaced the same distance, C, below the mouth of the associated recess 56; the mouth lying in the plane of face 54 of body 50.

In order to avoid sharp edges and thus provide added mobility of the sock while it is being placed on or removed from form 60, sides 53 of each holding device are preferably beveled from base 52 inwardly to face 54.

It will be understood that although the embodiments described above employ a hooked pile for gripping the hosiery material, other materials including adhesives may be employed to equal advantage within the spirit of the present invention. Likewise, the position of the holding devices on the form may also be varied from that shown and described depending on the particular hosiery articles that are to be processed as well as the particular processing operation.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications and adaptations of the structure above described will become readily apparent without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A form for holding hosiery and the like for processing comprising a body dimensioned to be inserted into hosiery to shape the same, a channel member having a base fixed to one side of said body and having opposite inturned portions extending from the base to define a recess, and gripping material in the recess spaced below said inturned portions to engage and hold hosiery in set position on the body when a portion of the hosiery is depressed into said recess.

2. A form for holding hosiery and the like for processing comprising, a generally flat body dimensioned to be inserted into hosiery, a holder having a flat base and an opposite face having a recess, gripping material in said recess spaced adjacent to but below the mouth of said recess, said holder having generally beveled opposite side portions, and means detachably securing said holder on said body with the holder base in flat engagement with the body and with the gripping material exposed to be engageable with hosiery to retain the same in fixed position on the form when a portion of the hosiery is depressed into said recess.

3. The form defined in claim 2 wherein said gripping material is a layer of hooked pile having its free hooked ends spaced adjacent to but below the mouth of said recess.

4. A form for holding hosiery and the like for processing,.comprising a body dimensioned to be inserted in hosiery to shape the same, means defining an exposed recess on at least one side of the body, said means being a channel member having a base secured to one side of said body and having laterally-spaced inturned portions defining the mouth of the recess, and hooked pile material in the recess with its hooked ends adjacent but spaced below the mouth of the recess adapted to engage and hold hosiery in a predetermined position on said body when a portion of the hosiery is depressed into the recess.

5. A form for holding hosiery and the like for processing, comprising a generally flat body dimensioned to be inserted into hosiery to shape the same, means defining an exposed recess on at least one side of said body, said means including a side plate having a fiat base fixed to one side or" said body and having an opposite face, said recess being formed in said face of said side plate, said side plate having generally bevelled side portions extending inwardly from said base to said face of said side plate, and hooked pile material in the recess with its hooked ends adjacent but spaced below the mouth of the recess adapted to engage and hold hosiery in a predetermined position on the body when a portion of the hosiery is depressed into the recess.

6. For use on a hosiery form and the like to retain hosiery on the form in set position; a holder having a base adapted to be fixed on a hosiery form, said holder having an exposed recess, and exposed gripping material in said recess spaced adjacent to but below the mouth of said recess to be engageable with hosiery to retain the same on a form upon depression of a portion of the hosiery into the recess.

7. The holder defined in claim 6, further including opposite side portions extending generally inwardly from the base towards the recess in generally bevelled fashion to facilitate movement of hosiery over the holder.

8. The holder defined in claim 7, wherein said gripping material is a layer of hooked pile having its free hooked ends spaced adjacent to but below the mouth of said recess.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,279,332 9/1918 Gray et a1 223-76 1,320,753 11/ 1919 Gerritson 223-76 1,373,694 4/ 192.1 Witherell 223-76 1,402,532 1/ 1922 OConnell 223-76 1,485,385 3/ 1924 Gerritson 223-76 1,560,415 11/ 1925 Dennison 223- 1,830,001 11/1931 Plough 223-75 1,859,096 5/1932 Katzenmoyer 223-75 2,865,542 12/ 1958 Smith 223-77 3,086,529 4/1963 Munz et al 2-311 X FOREIGN PATENTS 521,862 2/ 1930 Germany.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. V. LAR-KIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FORM FOR HOLDING HOSIERY AND THE LIKE FOR PROCESSING COMPRISING A BODY DIMENSIONED TO BE INSERTED INTO HOISERY TO SHAPE THE SAME, A CHANNEL MEMBER HAVING A BASE FIXED TO ONE SIDE OF SAID BODY AND HAVING OPPOSITE INTURNED PORTIONS EXTENDING FROM THE BASE TO DEFINE A RECESS, AND GRIPPING MATERIAL IN THE RECESS SPACED BELOW SAID INTURNED PORTIONS TO ENGAGE AND HOLD HOISERY IN SET POSITION ON THE BODY WHEN A PORTION OF THE HOISERY IS DEPRESSED INTO SAID RECESS. 